Women in Saudi Arabia can now legally get behind the wheel of a car for the first time as the kingdom lifts its longstanding ban on women driving.
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Women in Saudi Arabia can now legally get behind the wheel of a car for the first time as the kingdom lifts its longstanding ban on women driving.
Estonia’s Taxify has reportedly raised $175 million in funding from a group led by German automaker Daimler, which will enable the firm to step up its fight against global rival Uber across Europe and Africa, Reuters reported.
Mohamed Darwish Al Qamzi, General Manager of The Center for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars (Transad), told reporters he was confident Uber would resume services.
Careem co-founder Magnus Olsson has revealed that he sees the region’s homegrown ride-hailing service as playing a “crucial role in contributing to the changes in Saudi Arabia,” with particular focus on empowering female drivers – or “captinahs” – from June onwards.
Available to book now, customers can opt for an electric vehicle when they are booking a scheduled journey anywhere in Dubai.
Under the special sponsorship agreement, UAE residents can order a “Food Bank” delivery car type via the Careem app for free. The food will be delivered to one of the 80 food bank community fridges distributed in residential areas and mosques. The fridges are available for the public to donate packaged and canned food under safety measures supervised by Dubai Municipality.
According to a report by Bloomberg, which cited people familiar with the matter, the Uber rival plans to raise the money as a precursor to a possible initial public offering and the fund-raising round could value Careem at as much as $1.5 billion.
Dubai-based ride-hailing firm Careem is creating about 80,000 jobs for men and women every month, the firm’s co-founder said.
Saudi captainahs have been hand-picked by the Dubai-based company following last year’s royal decree on women driving.
The Middle East’s homegrown ride-hailing service is now present in 100 cities across the region, following the announcement that the company is gearing up to enter Khartoum, Sudan.
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